Financial aid

Financial aid

Graduate Assistant in Financial Aid

Part-time, 20 hours/week, 12 month position
20 hours per week; Monday – Friday; some evening and weekends hours will be required. Preferred time 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays. Not to exceed 944 hours in one year.

POSITION SUMMARY:
The financial aid graduate assistant will be a self-motivated person with strong interpersonal and group communication skills, who possesses a competitive spirit and sales orientation for the recruitment of students and for providing excellent customer service. This person must be able to support the financial aid office operations, help implement the university’s strategic enrollment plan, and ensure confidentiality and records retention.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage front office operations including answering phones, filing, mailings and office procedures
• Provide students and families with excellent customer service
• Process daily information flow between information systems (Salesforce, J1, PowerFaids)
• Manage systems and processes to ensure federal snd State regulations are met
• Assist with student financial aid offers (new, continuing and adult)
• Responsible for following federal regulations for record retention
• Manage and maintain tuition exchange programs (TE and CIC)
• Manage and maintain church matching program
• Assist in managing and updating policies and procedures
• Other duties as assigned

OCCASIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist in the admissions data office as needed
• Support admissions counselors with contacting students
• Other tasks as assigned by supervisor
• Some Saturday commitments and occasional evening/weekend work

QUALIFICATIONS:
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to satisfactorily perform the essential duties of this job.

• Minimum:
  • Education and/or Experience: Bachelor’s degree or higher. Some prior experience in event planning, recruiting, sales, and/or marketing.
  • Special Skills: As a frequent representative of Bluffton University to the public and corporate community, the employee must have high ethical standards and excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Must possess critical thinking skills with an appreciation for systems process and desire to learn about the financial aid industry.
  • Be highly motivated with strong organizational skills, technology skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks are vital. Integrity and honesty in conveying program information and respect for prospective students and their families are essential. Candidate must be friendly, outgoing, self-motivated, and able to delegate, and have excellent written and verbal skills. Candidate must also be computer literate in Microsoft Office, Excel and Word, and be willing to learn new software as part of daily tasks.
  • Must qualify for the Bluffton University Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Education or Master of Social Work program to be considered for the position.
• Preferred:
  • Experience - 1 year of prior admissions or financial aid experience or other college related work.
  • Previous use of Salesforce, PowerFaids and Jenzabar a plus.
  • Understanding of the liberal arts, private college environment within a Christian setting.
  • Bluffton University graduate.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met or will be encountered by the employee while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Public presentations may involve transporting and handling display materials of up to 40 pounds. Capable of general mobility around campus and meeting sites.

Compensation:
Full tuition waiver with competitive stipend and room and board.

APPLICATION:
Applications are considered complete when all of the following materials have been submitted:

• Completed Bluffton employment application
• Cover letter
• Resume
• Unofficial transcript

Send employment application materials to:

hr@bluffton.edu

Employment decisions are based on merit and university needs, and not on race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other status protected by law. As a religious institution, Bluffton University expressly reserves its rights to appoint faculty and staff who share a commitment to the Christian faith which is consistent with the Mennonite/Anabaptist beliefs of the university’s founding and supporting church. EOE.